By: Umme Kulsum
June 8 2023
Old video of training session in Punjab shared as footage of Assam Rifles-Manipur Police clash
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The video is originally from 2021 and shows an endurance training held by the Indian Army in Punjab. It has no connection with Manipur.
Claim ID 4de8d974
Context
In light of the ethnic clashes that continue to disrupt normal life in the Northeastern Indian state of Manipur, a video showing a group of uniformed men on the ground is doing the rounds on Twitter. The video has been shared with the claim that it shows a clash between the paramilitary force Assam Rifles and Manipur Police. The video was shared on Twitter with the caption, “According to the reports, there has been a massive clash between Indian Army Soldiers (37 Assam Rifle Battalion) & Manipur Police in which one Indian Army Soldier died while some others are severely injured. Multiple Soldiers & officers have been shifted to the hospital.”
In Fact
Logically Facts found that the video of uniformed men running in distress while carrying other men has been on the internet since August 2021. Several social media users shared the viral video in 2021 and claimed it depicted an incident during an "organized" training session.
Further, a tweet from the Ministry of Defence's public relations representative for Kohima and Imphal (PRO, Kohima & Imphal, Ministry of Defence) refuted the claim that the video showed a scuffle between the military and the Manipur police. The tweet said, “#IndianArmy & #AssamRifles rejects the fake video that has emerged on social media, claiming casualties of an Assam Rifles in Manipur post scuffle with @manipur_police. The video depicts a training activity of the Army in Punjab in 2021.”
According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the Indian Army, in a statement, also maintained that the video showing an alleged altercation between an Assam Rifles battalion and the Manipur Police that resulted in the death was one soldier was fake.
Taking a cue from the PRO’s tweet, Logically Facts looked for news reports on training activities in Punjab and whether any official had collapsed during any such training in 2021. We found an article published by The Indian Express on August 21, 2021, which stated that during an endurance training held at Mamun military post near Pathankot, Punjab, a soldier died, and four others were hospitalized due to extreme heat. Over 30 soldiers collapsed following the incident, the report adds.
The video now being shared as a scuffle between Assam Rifles and Manipur Police was also posted by the video news platform Editorji on their Twitter account on August 21, 2021. The accompanying post also mentioned the same details as reported by The Indian Express.
The Verdict
The video being shared as that of a recent scuffle between Assam Rifles and the Manipur Police is from 2021 and has nothing to do with Manipur. The Ministry of Defence has clarified that the video was shot during a training activity of the Indian Army in Punjab two years ago. Therefore, we mark the claim false.